Yesterday on BreakPoint, I told you about the dangers of physician-assisted suicide laws: How they inevitably turn the “right to die” into the “duty to die,” how these laws lead to the deaths of non-terminally ill patients, and how they threaten the lives of the disabled and the most vulnerable among us.
We must be prepared to talk about these deadly laws with friends and neighbors and persuade them to oppose physician-assisted suicide.
A great place to start is to focus on the definition of words, especially “dignity” and “compassion.” These words are used to great effect by pro-euthanasia forces, but they’ve been redefined. “Dignity” went from meaning worthy of honor and respect to meaning little more than fully affirming one’s lifestyle choices.
But now let’s look at the word “choice.” In the Netherlands last spring, doctors euthanized a young sexual assault victim who suffered from depression and anorexia. Did she “choose” to die, or did her mental state prevent her from choosing to live? According to LifeNews.com, in Oregon, only 5.3 percent of those who request suicide are referred for a psychiatric evaluation—“despite studies showing prevalence of depression in such patients.” In fact, most patients in Oregon who were assisted in their suicide did not list physical pain as the primary reason. A far greater number listed depression instead.
Thus it should alarm all of us that Colorado’s Proposition 106 does not require psychiatric evaluation for patients requesting suicide.
How is it compassionate, we should ask, to refuse to help those whose depression is crippling their ability to face severe physical problems?
Continue reading BreakPoint – How to Help Others Say ‘No’ to Assisted Suicide
